A syndemic of inequitable gender norms and intersecting stigmas on condom self-efficacy and practices among displaced youth living in urban slums in Uganda: a community-based cross-sectional study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study highlights how harmful norms and stigma form a “syndemic” that compromises youth sexual health. Norms around gender roles and sexuality foster shame and silence, particularly for girls, and limit their ability to communicate about or use condoms. Effective HIV prevention must include gender-transformative and stigma-reduction approaches that empower youth […]
‘They Say it was Her Fault… This is Not True!’ Using Vignettes With Adolescent Girls to Collectively Address Norms About Sexual Violence.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms in Rwanda around sexual violence assign blame to adolescent girls, discourage reporting, and normalize male entitlement to sex. Girls are burdened with responsibility for preventing violence, while perpetrators often benefit from social protection, particularly within families. Using vignettes allowed girls to critically reflect on and challenge these norms, revealing […]
‘You have a child who will call you “mama”’: Understanding Adolescent Pregnancy in South Sudan
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms in South Sudan deeply value motherhood as a marker of adulthood and worth, shaping girls’ choices and aspirations. Effective interventions must go beyond preventing adolescent pregnancy to challenge the underlying social and gender norms, create supportive environments, and offer alternative pathways for girls to achieve respect, security, and fulfillment […]
“Girls Have More Challenges; They Need to Be Locked Up”: A Qualitative Study of Gender Norms and the Sexuality of Young Adolescents in Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: In Uganda, restrictive gender norms are instilled in children from an early age, deeply shaping adolescent girls’ experiences of sexuality and limiting their agency. Boys are encouraged to express and explore sexuality, while girls are expected to be passive, modest, and solely responsible for preventing sexual activity and its consequences. These […]
“Take this shame away from me!”: A qualitative study of the social norms surrounding abortion experiences among adolescent girls and young women in Benin
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Benin navigate abortion decisions and care in a context of profound normative pressure, shaped by a “triple normative burden”: the stigmatization of premarital pregnancy, lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education, and strong moral and religious condemnation of abortion. These norms are reinforced by […]
A Deviance Approach to Understanding Use of Maternal Health Care Services in Bangladesh
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how social norms at the community level—and how individuals deviate from them—play a significant role in shaping maternal health care utilization in Bangladesh. The concept of “positive” and “negative” deviance is used to understand how individuals who differ from prevailing community norms experience different health outcomes. Women who […]
Why context matters for social norms interventions: The case of child marriage in Cameroon
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study underscores that social norms sustaining child marriage differ significantly by context and cannot be addressed through one-size-fits-all interventions. Across the four communities studied, the alignment or misalignment between people’s private attitudes and community norms varied, influencing the effectiveness of potential interventions. Some communities practiced child marriage despite widespread personal […]
‘A cut woman is the pride of all her relatives’: a situation analysis of female genital mutilation in Mali
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Female genital mutilation in Mali is upheld by strong social norms tied to identity, tradition, and group belonging. The practice is often seen as a rite of passage and a requirement for girls to be recognized as full members of their community. Being cut is associated with honor, pride, and social […]
‘I wanted to enjoy our marriage first… but I got pregnant right away’: a qualitative study of family planning understandings and decisions of women in urban Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights how social norms around marriage, fertility, and womanhood shape postpartum family planning in urban Yogyakarta. There was a strong expectation that women should become pregnant soon after marriage, particularly among those who married in their late twenties or thirties. These norms often overrode women’s personal desires to delay […]
‘The School Was Closed, So When They Brought Me A Husband I Couldn’t Say No’: Exploring the Gendered Experiences of Child Marriage Amongst Adolescent Girls and Boys in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms deeply influence marriage decisions, especially those related to gender roles and adulthood. For girls, early marriage is often expected and seen as a path to social acceptance. For boys, marriage can be a way to prove maturity and secure social status. These expectations are reinforced by families, peers, and […]